"Lifetime's dark satire of reality TV … is also a systematic takedown of 'The Bachelor' and of, really, the romance industrial complex writ large," Ms. Garber writes. "It's a show about romance that is decidedly unromantic. But it's also engaging drama, cleverly written and subtly acted and accomplishing a meaning-and-message interplay that can only be described as 'literary.'"

"'UnReal' reimagined the antihero as a merciless, feminist empath hard at work manipulating people behind the scenes of a Bachelor-type reality show," Ms. Paskin wrote. "Created by women, starring women, airing on a channel for women, and riffing on a format watched by women, 'UnReal' proved ambition can flourish in any setting."

"'UnREAL''s biggest powerhouses are still producer Rachel and showrunner Quinn," Ms. Valentine writes. "These two pitch-black antiheroes aren't just the show's most effective story engine; they're the sort of layered, almost unforgivable but deeply human performances even peak TV is just beginning to get the hang of … And a season of complex narratives about how we create narratives? That makes it the most satisfying TV about TV on TV."